An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales

To these seven narratives of neurological disorder Dr. Sacks brings the same humanity, poetic observation, and infectious sense of wonder that are apparent in his bestsellers Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. These men, women, and one extraordinary child emerge as brilliantly adaptive personalities, whose conditions have not so much debilitated them as ushered them into another reality.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales

Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.

A Leg to Stand On

Dr. Oliver Sacks's books Awakenings, An Anthropologist on Mars and the best-selling The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat have been acclaimed for their compassion in the treatment of patients affected with profound disorders. In A Leg to Stand On, it is Sacks himself who is the patient: an encounter with a bull on a desolate mountain in Norway has left him with a severely damaged leg. But what should be a routine recuperation is actually the beginning of a strange medical journey.

Publisher's Summary

The best-selling author of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks is well known as an explorer of the human mind - a neurologist with a gift for complex, insightful portrayals of people and their conditions. However, he is also a card-carrying member of the American Fern Society, and since childhood has been fascinated by these primitive plants and their ability to survive and adapt in many climates.

Oaxaca Journal is Sacks' spellbinding account of his trip with a group of fellow fern enthusiasts to the beautiful, history-steeped province of Oaxaca, Mexico. Bringing together Sacks's passion for natural history and the richness of human culture with his sharp eye for detail, Oaxaca Journal is a captivating evocation of a place, its plants, its people, and its myriad wonders.

PLEASE NOTE: Some changes have been made to the original manuscript with the permission of Oliver Sacks.

What the Critics Say

"[The book] is light and fast-moving, unburdened by library research but filled with erudition.... Among the botanical and anthropological observations, one catches glimpses of Sacks's inner life: his preoccupation with dualities, his nearly Victorian sense of modesty, his fascination with the world around him." (The New Yorker)

What made the experience of listening to Oaxaca Journal the most enjoyable?

I love Oliver Sach's medical writing and this is my first adventure with him. He is an erudite and knowledgeable man prepared to share his knowledge. Highly recommended.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis and Oliver Sacks (Introduction) ???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unmisseable

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Daniela

Monza, Italy

04/06/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A gem"

Oliver Sacks at his best: intelligent, compassionate, mind-opening.Wonderfully written and read, a delightful diary of a trip to Mexico: ferns, carpets, history, food and plants and much more.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Alan

16/10/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Do we need a book about ferns? Turns out we do."

What did you love best about Oaxaca Journal?

The late great Sacks could make interesting most anything subject other than the phone book. Until last week I didn't envision opening the wallet for an audio book on the ferns of a Mexican province.

What about Jonathan Davis and Oliver Sacks (Introduction) ’s performance did you like?

Pleasant voice, with a hint of William Shatner. No,really! I hope the narrator never sees this opinion as I wouldn't want the guy to drink himself into a mindless stupor. I will track down further narrations by him.

Any additional comments?

The Audible price tag is over ten bucks for a four hour book. I deem this excessive.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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